Brazil: Bluesky Gains Over 2 Million Users Following X Ban

In just a few days, the platform saw a surge of 2.6 million new users. What could have triggered this sudden influx?

Bluesky: Skyrocketing Growth Following Brazilian Ban of a Rival

The decentralized social platform Bluesky has witnessed a meteoric rise, adding 2.6 million users to its previously 8.8 million-strong user base.

This remarkable surge is largely attributed to an influx of new Brazilian users.

Brazilian Judiciary Blocks X

It’s worth noting that Brazilian Supreme Court Justice, Alexandre de Moraes, recently ordered ISPs in Brazil to block X after it failed to remove accounts accused of spreading misinformation.

Following this ban, Brazilian users have migrated to other platforms, including Bluesky, which has seen a significant increase in daily unique likes and new subscribers.

What a week! In the last few days, Bluesky has grown by more than 2.6 million users.

Welcome, we are so excited to have you here! And if you haven’t joined us yet: https://t.co/x6v5YW0WFThttps://t.co/FIRQRKpjNN pic.twitter.com/EOdQKvgSeD

— bluesky (@bluesky) September 4, 2024

Managing Growth

This rapid expansion has led to some technical challenges. Paul Frazee, a developer at Bluesky, warned that users might face performance issues as the platform has “never seen traffic like this.”

Despite these challenges, Bluesky has announced the upcoming introduction of new features, such as video support, to retain its burgeoning user base.

The Origins of Bluesky

Founded in 2023 by Twitter’s Jack Dorsey, Bluesky initially launched as invitation-only and opened to the public earlier this year.

Even after Dorsey stepped down from the board in May, the platform has continued to grow, promising future enhancements like end-to-end encryption and group messaging.